Nothing More Important
by ShadowSplash25
Summary: Mio knows better than anyone there's nothing more important than love. Mitsu. COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey guys! This is my first fic and I wanted it to be about Mitsu because you know, they're my favourite pairing (and I ship _a lot_ of people). To be honest, I've been around for awhile and I've written short stories but they've never been uploaded for others to see, mainly because I'm kind of self-conscious about my writing :3 Constructive criticism is welcome :) Oh and I'm sorry if there is any OOC-ness :P

Disclaimer: I do not own K-On.

* * *

**Nothing More Important**

_Mio knows better than anyone there's nothing more important than love._

* * *

"Ritsu… Why didn't you tell me?" Mio bit her lip, tears streaming down her face.

"Eh?" Ritsu looked up, and was startled to see Mio sobbing, her beautiful grey eyes filled with tears. "M-Mio! Why are you crying?"

Ritsu hurriedly stood up and wrapped Mio in her arms. Mio let out a wail and buried herself in Ritsu's neck, inhaling her familiar scent that she knew would be gone soon.

"You-You didn't tell me you were going to overseas to study for 4 years," Mio cried.

"I… I just didn't want you to worry or anything," Ritsu mumbled.

"Baka, I'd be even more sad not knowing! So-So you're really going?" Mio said, still in Ritsu's arms.

"Yeah… I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, Mio. I know how dependent you are on me, but we'll get through this. I promise."

"Ritsu… I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

**4 years later**

Mio's phone vibrated, waking the girl up instantly. For the entire week, she had been incredibly jumpy. Even Yui could figure out why.

The text message from Yui read: _Mio-chan! Ricchan's coming back today right? Let's go pick her up from the airport! She says she's bringing someone special to meet us… I wonder who?_

Of course. How could she forget? Right after Ritsu had informed the HTT members of her arrival date back to Japan, Mio had grabbed a blinding yellow coloured highlighter and drew a heart on that date – December 20th. She had spent her days after that daydreaming about it during her lectures. Would Ritsu look different? She tried to envision Ritsu being taller, maybe even with her hair down. But all she could imagine was how Ritsu looked when they had sent her off at the airport – Hairband on, charming grin on her face and golden eyes piercing right into Mio's.

Mio had a few hours to prepare, so she took extra care in choosing her clothes. After all, it was probably going to be the best thing that would happen to her in 4 years. She picked out a white dress with a black belt and matching white heels. She left her hair alone, it was the exact same hairstyle she had all those years ago.

* * *

And there they were again, just like all those years ago, all waiting anxiously for Ritsu. Sending Ritsu off had been a particularly painful memory for Mio.

_"Ritsu!" Mio cried. "Don't go, please! Please I can't- I can't get through 4 years without you."_

_ "Mio, you're strong, you can do this without me. Yui, Mugi and Azusa are here for you. I promise, I'll be back in 4 years."_

_ "I'll wait for you."_

Mio closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She was going to see Ritsu for the first time in 4 years. She couldn't help but squeal internally. She could finally be back in Ritsu's arms and breathe in her scent and kiss those warm-

"IS THAT RICCHAN?!" Yui shouted. Mio's eyes snapped open and saw a figure walking towards them. The figure's gait was familiar, and Mio could recognize it anywhere. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Ritsu..?" she whispered under her breath.

"Wait… Who's that person with her?" Tsumugi asked.

Ritsu got closer and before Mio could launch herself at her, she suddenly noticed the girl beside Ritsu. Furthermore, that girl – Mio swallowed – had her arms wrapped around Ritsu's. Mio felt everything come to a standstill. The only thing she could focus on was Ritsu and whoever that girl was.

"Yo! I'm back, guys!" Ritsu grinned at them. Yui was already hugging her but Azusa and Tsumugi were casting worried looks at Mio. "Hahaha, get off me Yui! I'd like you guys to meet my girlfriend, Himeko. H-Hey, Mio!"

Mio sprinted off, unwilling to let anyone see her tears. But she would be lying if she said she'd never thought about it. It was one of the nagging things that bothered her for a year.

_"Hey Ritsu! You haven't called for a week, what happened? I miss you," Mio said happily as she picked up the phone._

_ "Mio… I'm sorry," was all Ritsu said._

_ "H-Huh? Sorry about what? Ritsu? Hello? Ritsu?!"_

_ And that was the last call Ritsu made to Mio. Mio sent so many messages to Ritsu, her phone bill practically blew up. Then Mio started thinking: What if Ritsu got another girlfriend? Maybe she doesn't love me anymore?_

"MIO!" Ritsu's voice brought her out of her daze. She was steadily catching up. After all, she was fitter than Mio.

"Get away from me!" Mio screamed at her when Ritsu held on to her arm tightly.

"Mio, look- I'm sorry. I just- I can't tell you why, but I have to ask you to forget me."

"What? Why? Don't you get it, Ritsu? No matter what I do, you'll always be my first love and my last. I can never stop loving you, let alone forget you." Mio was breaking down. She had never felt this sad, this heartbroken. It was scary how the person who makes you the happiest is also the person who can hurt you the most.

"Mio… I don't want to hurt you-"

"Oh, and I'm not hurt now?! You're an idiot, you know that?" Mio, filled with rage and sadness, stomped off and left Ritsu looking down at the ground, her bangs hiding her face.

"… I'm your idiot," Ritsu muttered. A single tear dropped to the ground. "I'm sorry…"

* * *

As for the days that followed, Mio locked herself in her room and hardly came out, missed lectures – which was obviously very uncharacteristic of her – and basically abused her tear ducts. She listened to sad songs, curled up in a ball and tried her best to stop thinking about Ritsu. However, Mio did not realize that the more time spent in her dorm meant more thoughts entering her brain.

_Over-thinking sucks_, Mio thought.

She succumbed to her fate after three days of eating cup noodles and bread, trying to come up with hypothesizes of Ritsu's sudden change in demeanour. She truly believed Ritsu loved her back then, or was that just a lie too? Her heart tightened – Taylor Swift's I Knew You Were Trouble began to play on her music player – maybe she just didn't love her at all.

_When your saddest fear comes creeping in_

_That you never loved me or her or anyone or anything_

Mio squeezed her eyes shut, sick of the familiar feeling of tears flowing. She was surprised that her tear ducts could still work.

_Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground_

_ Oh,_ _oh, trouble, trouble, trouble_

Another song of Swift's came on, this time sad and slow. Yes, Mio had listened to Taylor Swift's playlist of sad songs for three straight days. Her songs could really speak to her, opening up her tear ducts after every relatable verse.

"Mio?" a familiar voice said behind her room's door. It was Tsumugi. Mio suspected her friends of telling each other to leave her alone because she obviously needed some time alone. Although she was secretly beginning to like the cool, quiet darkness – Mio made sure it was not _too _dark – she absolutely hated the feeling of being lonely.

It was addicting, the darkness, being alone and all, but Mio was glad to be out from it.

"Mugi?" Mio croaked. She had not spoken a word for three days, except for the very frequent sobbing, and even though she made sure not to dehydrate herself, her throat was parched and dry.

Mio walked to the door, feeling all of her bones pop and loosen up, and opened the door. Tsumugi was her impeccable self as always, but she took a step backwards with a fleeting moment of shock and disbelief. And that was when Mio knew she looked absolutely awful. She definitely felt horrible, but her mental state had affected her physical state, which led to her having terrifying bed hair, dark circles, bloodshot eyes, pale skin and cracked lips.

Tsumugi overcame her initial shock and became the ever helpful ojou-sama again. "Oh, Mio! You look… Um, let's just get you cleaned up, shall we?"

Tsumugi helped Mio to condition her hair and brush out the horrifying tangles, then left notices everywhere in her room to remind Mio to drink lots of water, sleep a lot and start listening to cheerful music. After talking a bit with Tsumugi, Mio realized that she was dead tired and would like nothing more than to sink into the bed and fall into a deep slumber, hopefully not filled with dreams (or nightmares) with Ritsu in them.

So when Tsumugi was halfway talking about something Mio did not know, Mio closed her eyes and fell on to her bed with a thump. Tsumugi was not offended by this (she's never offended) and tucked Mio into the bed, leaving another notice that the entire gang (excluding Ritsu) would be visiting the next day.

Mio had a wonderful dream involving certain actions between Ritsu and her, but the moment she woke up she felt like crying again, because her life now could not be more different from that.

* * *

**More A/N:** No that's not the end of it, and it takes about a few days to a week to write a chapter like this, considering how I still have school and all that, but I'll try my best to upload new chapters as soon as possible :D And since this is my first fic, could you guys please review and all that? Thank you so much ^^ I want to improve on my writing. Oh and I absolutely love Taylor Swift!

x

Joeh


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Ok so this is the 2nd chapter and I would like to thank all the people who have taken the time and effort to review my story :D I'm very honoured. Yay I'm happy that this chapter actually took only 2 days to finish :)

**GearUnlocked:** Thank you for the advice :) Yup it's Himeko-channn. I think she's really pretty and found it kind of sad that she couldn't really be found in the K-On fics :P

Disclaimer: Do we really need to put this here?

* * *

"Mio-chan! Wake up!" Yui's voice penetrated into Mio's brain, waking her up. She took a few moments to let her eyes focus on the sudden bright light and the pained smiles of her band mates.

"Mio-senpai, are you okay? You still look pretty bad," Azusa said bluntly, though with a concerned expression.

"Yeah, give me a minute, I'll go wash up." Mio stifled a yawn, stretched and went to do her morning ritual. When she came back, her dorm room was filled with snacks, all sorts of cookies, cakes, teabags etc. Her floor was a mess and it looked like there had been a food tsunami in her room, the entire place was literally covered by the snacks, save for the group of girls in the center, sitting down and munching on some of the snacks.

Mio's eye twitched. She realized that those four enormous bags she'd seen on the way to the bathroom had contained all the snacks and apparently her band mates had spilled the lot on to the ground. It was a big mistake, because Mio liked having her room spick and span, thank you very much.

"Why is my entire room covered with snacks?" Mio asked. Her eyes narrowed, flashing dangerously. Azusa and Yui gulped, and even Tsumugi put on a strained smile.

"W-Well, you see, Mio-chan, it's easier to grab anything you want if it's on the ground instead of in the bags, no?" Yui said, laughing nervously.

"Oh forget it, just remember to clean up the place when you're done," Mio said with a sigh and sat down next to Tsumugi. A huge mountain of snacks was piled up in the middle of the four, partially obscuring Mio's view. She gladly accepted some tea from Tsumugi and took a slice of chocolate cake. She had missed the taste of sweet tea and fluffy cake, even though it had only been three days since her last.

Just as Mio was thinking it wasn't as bad as she had thought it would be, the discussions started.

"So why do you think Ritsu-senpai did it?" Azusa asked. "I can't believe she did that to Mio-senpai, does she not care about her?!" Azusa's words stabbed Mio in the heart, even though she knew it was concern for her.

"I'm sure Ricchan has her own reasons for it, Azu-nyan," Yui muttered with a mouthful of cake. "Don't blame her, okay?"

"How can I not blame her?! Just look at Mio-senpai!" Azusa frowned, close to blowing her top. She had respected and sometimes admired her senpai, but what she did to Mio was just horrible. "I mean no disrespect, but Mio-senpai looks like she's been crying nonstop."

_You're right about that, _Mio thought darkly.

"It's between Mio and Ritsu, Azusa-chan," Tsumugi said calmly while sipping her tea, eying Mio carefully. Azusa furrowed her brows but said no more.

They had their meal in an extremely awkward silence, save for Yui's loud munching.

"But you know, Himeko-chan's pretty nice. I just hope Ricchan doesn't treat her like how she treated Mio-chan," Yui said out of a sudden. Azusa gasped and the room temperature felt like it had dropped by a hundred degrees.

"Yui-senpai!" Azusa exclaimed, her shock evident. "Say sorry to Mio-senpai now!"

Mio suddenly stood up, her bangs hiding her face, but everyone in the room could see her tears dripping down on to the floor. Before anyone could react, she bolted out the door, only to slam into someone.

"S-Sorry!" Mio cried and lifted her head. Immediately, her face became bright red and she turned to run away.

"Mio!" Ritsu said, her eyes wide. As Mio turned away from her, she reacted instinctively and grabbed her arm. Mio turned back to her, glaring at her through her tears as though daring Ritsu to say something: _Who are you to ask me to stay?_ Ritsu grimaced and let go of Mio's arm and watched as she ran away from her, her mesmerizing hair flying everywhere. It never failed to dazzle Ritsu.

Ritsu sighed and looked down, her fists clenched and arms stiff against her side. She had to use all of her willpower not to reach out and pull Mio into her arms. A tear fell as she thought about how Mio had been crying. Another tear fell as she knew she was the reason why. A third followed the two as she knew she couldn't be the one to comfort Mio.

"Ritsu-senpai?" Azusa's voice broke through Ritsu's thoughts. Without looking up, Ritsu turned and ran to the opposite direction of where Mio had been running.

* * *

"This is bad, Himeko," Ritsu said as she leaned against the railing, looking up at the stars.

"_Last night I looked up at the stars and matched each one with a reason why I love you. I was doing great until I ran out of stars," Ritsu said, pointing at the night sky. She turned and grinned at Mio who was as red as a beetroot. Ritsu's back started to get a little itchy after saying that cheesy line._

_ "D-Don't say such embarrassing things, baka!" Mio blushed profusely and hit Ritsu on the head. Afterwards they'd kissed; the sparkles in their eyes could make the stars jealous._

"Why? Don't tell me you're backing out?" Himeko asked and put her back against the railing, glancing at Ritsu.

"No, it's just that I bumped into her today and she was crying and everything," Ritsu grabbed fistfuls of her hair and groaned in frustration, "I wanted to hold her in my arms and tell her that everything's fine so badly, my hands were trembling. I mean, it's been four years, Himeko, four years! I miss her like hell, but… But I need to do this. _We_ need to do this."

"Sure," Himeko shrugged, "but don't you think she's going to be more heartbroken when she finds out about your… You know?"

"Yes, we've been through this, Himeko, the only reason we're doing this is to make her hate me, make her forget me, make her… Get over me." Ritsu closed her eyes. Her determination had wavered, but she was going to make sure her plan worked.

"Then we'll do it," Himeko said with a curt nod and walked back into the room.

* * *

"Mio-chan? Hey… I'm really sorry about what I said today," Yui said the moment Mio opened her door, the latter had been woken up by rapid knocking on the door in the middle of the night, which had scared her for a moment until she realized it was Yui knocking. "I hope you forgive me."

"I forgive you. But seriously Yui, you could've waited until morning to apologize," Mio said. Her dark circles were fading and most of the colour had returned to her skin. Mio looked a lot better than before, but not much. Yui smiled sheepishly.

"Hehe, I guess I should have… Anyway, good night and sweet dreams, Mio!" Yui said and sprinted away. Mio decided not to let her tired brain ponder about Yui's strange actions and decided to go back to bed. _But not in Ritsu's arms._

_ "Ritsu, hug me tighter," Mio whispered. A tremendous clap of thunder sent her squirming deeper into Ritsu's warm embrace._

_ "Mio, you're going to be the one hugging me to death once you're asleep," Ritsu chuckled, but she complied nonetheless._

_ The next morning, true enough, Mio found her arms wrapped around Ritsu as though she was a giant bolster._

Mio woke up with a start. Her heart pounding, she looked around frantically. As her heart rate slowed and she fully woke up, she reprimanded herself mentally for feeling disappointed when she couldn't find Ritsu in her arms or vice versa. _What, you think she would be here? _Her mind was bent on torturing her and it even laughed in a sarcastic and cynical way.

"I'm going mad I'm going mad I'm going mad," Mio repeated and paced around the room, her eyes on the ground. "Oh and now I'm even talking to myself. Fantastic."

"People who talk to themselves are smart, Mio-chan," Tsumugi said pleasantly. Mio whipped around and was startled to find the ojou-sama[1] in her room.

"Mugi? What are you doing here?" Mio asked.

"I happened to pass by your room Mio-chan, and I thought to check on you, that's all," Tsumugi smiled.

"You just wanted to ensure that I'm not abusing myself, Mugi," Mio dead-panned.

"Oh, was I that easy to see through?" Tsumugi said with a lilt. She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"Mugi… Ritsu said she wanted me to forget her. I don't understand her. How does she expect me to forget her when she comes back to Japan after four years, when she knows _I still love her_?" Mio asked Tsumugi, certain that the latter could give her a straightforward answer. She had wanted to share her problems badly, bottling them up was no good.

"Well, I think that Ricchan might be hiding something. I don't think she wants you to know just yet, Mio-chan. Just try not to think so much about it." Even before Tsumugi opened her mouth, she knew that Mio had been over-thinking and basically being extremely miserable. "I doubt that there's much we can do to help you, except maybe for our band practice. Only you can help yourself."

_Only you can help yourself. _Those words rang loud and clear in Mio's mind, repeating long after Tsumugi had left the room. To be honest, Mio wasn't really sure if she wanted to forget Ritsu or not. She wanted to get over her, but at the same time, she also wished for Ritsu to come running back into her arms so that they could be together again. After all, those were her happiest times. She just wasn't ready to forget Ritsu. _She probably never would be._

* * *

**More A/N: **I just love italicizing words don't I. Once again, please review and favourite if you like the story ^^ I hope Mio's not too depressing for you guys XD

[1]: Ojou-sama is basically a formal way of saying young lady because we all know Mugi is wealthy, high-class and important :3

Thank you!

x

Joeh


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sorry this took like 6 days. I had to think a lot about this chapter, since you know. It's like the big one and I don't want to disappoint anyone. So I laid on the bed and listened to Taylor Swift while thinking about this chapter for a long time. I also thought about it while showering. Showers make you evaluate your life! Also, the HTT members all in university except for Himeko and Ritsu, who have finished their studies. I have no idea about uni (or college) life, so I'm trying to make this as realistic as I can based on what I know about it. I hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

A vibration on her lap broke the black-haired girl's unwavering concentration on the lecture. It was a text message from Tsumugi.

It read: _Mio-chan! You're in the lecture hall now right? Please go to the empty room below the music room when you're finished._

Mio quickly typed back a reply and resumed her stoic attention. Mio, being Mio, had been extremely horrified with herself for being so caught up in the Ritsu drama that she had missed her many lectures and forced herself into a strict four-days worth of studying to catch up. She had also borrowed many notes and approached the professor after lectures. Things had been going well for three days now, with no awkward contact with Ritsu.

Mio was rather pleased with herself, after all she had missed about five lectures for the time that she had been cooped up in her room drowning in self-pity, and was now back on track with a good grasp on her studies. After another hour of vigorous scribbling and note-taking, the lecture ended and Mio gathered all her things and made her way to the empty room.

"Mio-senpai!" Azusa ran out to greet her before Mio had even stepped into the room. "Um… The reason we're here is to celebrate… Himeko-senpai's birthday."

"WHAT?!" Mio exclaimed loudly. If they were celebrating Himeko's birthday, Ritsu would be there!

"Wait! I know how things are between you guys, but you just need to ignore Ritsu-senpai, okay? After all, Himeko-senpai was your classmate," Azusa pleaded.

"Argh… Fine. Mou[1], Azusa, stop doing that face," Mio groaned. _I can do this_, she thought to herself. _It's just a freaking birthday party. _Mio put on a brave face and walked into the room, following Azusa.

The first thing Mio saw when she walked into the room was Ritsu and Himeko cuddling in a corner. Her resolve almost broke, but she was saved from bursting into tears and running out the room by Yui, who ran up and hugged her. It was one of the few times Yui had hugged Mio, so the latter was definitely surprised. Yui usually saved her hugs for her beloved kouhai [2], after all.

Yui let go and smiled cheerfully up at Mio. "Mio-chan, THERE'S CAKE."

"Yui, there's almost always cake at a birthday party," a painfully familiar voice said beside her.

Mio sighed inwardly, it was ripping her heart out but she had to get through this, and fast. She turned to Himeko who was standing beside Ritsu and was smiling up at Ritsu. Mio felt a twinge in her heart. Was that how she looked at Ritsu too?

"H-Happy birthday, Tachibana-san," Mio said, smiling weakly. She bore no hate, not an ounce, towards Himeko, but she had to admit, she was envious. She was envious that Himeko had Ritsu. She was envious about how Himeko had Ritsu and _she didn't_. "I'm sorry I don't have a present for you, I didn't know it was your birthday."

"That's alright, and you can call me Himeko," Himeko smiled at her. Mio thought, _she's really pretty. She's probably prettier than me… Maybe that's why Ritsu chose her._ Mio closed her eyes and tried to push that thought to the back of her mind.

And then the birthday cake was brought out. It was strawberry flavoured with whipped cream, topped with fresh strawberries. It was Mio's favourite cake. Himeko placed the candles on the cake, it was obvious that she was twenty-two years old. The glow that emanated from the candles reminded Mio of her birthday the year Ritsu left.

_"Happy birthday, Mio!" Ritsu grinned widely at her, her eyes reflecting the warm glow. Mio loved that about Ritsu, how her eyes shone with a vibrant fire when she was passionate about something, and how it shone whenever Mio was with her. Mio could always tell how Ritsu was feeling when she looked into her eyes. "I made this strawberry cake for you. I know how much you love strawberries!"_

They all went through the birthday ritual, dimming of lights, singing of the birthday song and taking of pictures. Ritsu stood beside Himeko and placed her arm around her, it was apparent to everyone that it was a 'couple shot'. Just before Tsumugi took the picture, Ritsu turned her head and planted a kiss on Himeko's cheek. The room was bathed in eerie silence after the camera had gone off.

Mio paled and felt so exhausted then. She wanted to give up on Ritsu, she really did. She knew it was hurting her. Her chest constricted painfully. She was about to dash out of the room – because let's face it, that's what Mio does when she's cornered.

"Ehhh?!" Yui's voice broke the silence. She pointed at Ritsu. "Ricchan, your-your nose is bleeding!"

Mio looked at Ritsu and watched as a drop of blood plopped on to the cake. Oh, she was really sick now.

"Ricchan! The cake! The cake has blood on it!" Yui shouted. Mio felt a little concerned. Nosebleeds usually happened when you were feeling particularly aroused… Mio's eyes widened. _Could it be?_ She wondered. "Maybe you were so entranced by Himeko that your nose bled," Yui teased.

Ritsu smiled weakly and exchanged a furtive look with Himeko. "U-Um, I'll just go and get this cleaned up," Ritsu muttered, covering her nose with her hand. They both ran out of the room.

Mio felt a strange sensation. She just knew she had to follow the two. Mio was not the nosy kind, but she felt like there was something going on between them. And not just the romantic kind either. She excused herself with a rather pathetic excuse of going to the toilet and quietly followed them. They went up the stairs and into the music room, closing the door behind them.

Mio stood beside the door, back pressed against the wall and tried to calm her breaths. She tried not to feel guilty about eavesdropping.

"Himeko, please dim the light, my head hurts like hell," Ritsu said.

"Is it because of your…"

"Yes."

"Ritsu, are you going to do something about it? You're getting worse day by day," Himeko asked worriedly.

"We both know what's going to happen. I'm going to _die_, Himeko. There's no point. There's no point anymore," Ritsu said dejectedly. Mio gasped softly. The Ritsu she knew would never give up. Ritsu _never _gives up.

"But-"

"I have a fucking brain tumour, Himeko! You heard what the doctor said. He said it was a miracle I was able to survive even a year. I had some hope back then, but now? You've seen what I was going through. I don't want Mio to feel sad. She'd be better off hating me than crying over my dead body."

Mio's eyes widened and began to fill with tears. All this while, Ritsu had tried to make Mio hate her, being so selfless and yet so stupid at the same time. She knew Mio would not take the news well. That was right. Mio didn't. She slid down the wall and cried. Ritsu always wanted the best for Mio, even if it cost her her love. Mio could argue that it wasn't the best for her, because nothing was more important than love and having each other.

Ritsu heard loud cries behind the door and knew she had been found out. She went out and found Mio curled up in a sobbing mess. "Ritsu! Baka Ritsu!" Mio was crying harder than she ever had, and failed to notice Himeko quietly leaving the two. Mio threw herself at Ritsu. It was the first time she had been this close to her in four years. She inhaled her familiar scent and was slightly comforted by it.

"…I'm sorry Mio," Ritsu said, circling her arms around Mio. Mio felt so right in her arms. A tear fell on to Mio's shoulder. She was sorry for everything, lying to Mio and hurting her.

"Shut up! Stop saying sorry when it's not your fault. Shut up… and kiss me," Mio looked at Ritsu, her grey eyes, which Ritsu knew could become stormy when angry and bright when happy, clouded with sadness and love.

Ritsu leaned forward. Their lips met each other hesitantly, slowly at first. It was their first kiss in years, after all. They both savoured each moment while it lasted. Ritsu had missed Mio's soft lips so much that she had dreamt of them every night, and they were even softer in real life. Ritsu trailed her tongue along Mio's bottom lip and the latter shuddered.

The kiss was better than Mio had expected. Both had poured their feelings, bottled up for so many years, into the kiss. When they finally broke apart, Mio lay in Ritsu's arms, who was sitting on the floor, her back to the wall. They were panting, drinking in each other's warmth, scent, feel. The knew it would be taken away soon. Ritsu lowered her head on to Mio's shoulder and promptly fell asleep.

"R-Ritsu? Ritsu?!" Mio screamed.

* * *

**More A/N: **I'm so evil. Mwahahaha :D Well the cat's out of the bag now. Ritsu has a brain tumour and is going to die soon. I'm so sorry for that cliffhanger (not really) but it just HAD to be done :P Don't worry, that's not the end, although it would be a pretty damn evil one. This was a pretty short chapter compared the other two, but I promise the next one will be good and long ^^ ( P.S. The kiss scene was really hard to write D: )

[1]: 'Mou' can mean something like "jeez" or "come on!". Basically a way to express frustration.

[2]: 'Kouhai' is the opposite of senpai. It means "junior".

Please review and favourite! Thanks :D

x

Joeh


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Very sad to say this but this is going to be the last chapter for Nothing More Important. You guys have been great. I love you for reading this story :D I hope this doesn't fall short of your standards. :P Also, I think I was wrong about nosebleeds being a symptom of brain tumours/cancer. I vaguely remember this guy in a show having nosebleeds and headaches then it was discovered he actually had a brain tumour. I searched up the symptoms on brain tumours/cancer and apparently Ritsu doesn't have most of them (like personality changes) so I apologize if it's really bothering you. This story isn't really focused on the cancer itself, but I'm sorry because I don't really know much about brain tumours, but I know quite a bit about stomach cancer. I had a close family member pass away because of cancer, so… Yeah. Anyway, this chapter is pretty angsty. ("It better be good and angsty," I whispered as I cackled madly and started typing on the computer.)

* * *

Ritsu was woken up from a second-long slumber by loud screaming in her ear and her body being shaken so vigorously she felt her bones cracking and popping. She realized it was Mio screaming and smirked, albeit sluggishly, towards her.

"Hey Mio, I heard make up sex is amazing," Ritsu said a little sleepily, her half-lidded eyes staring straight into Mio's.

"S-Shut up!" Mio turned red. _Ritsu sounds so sexy… _Mio blushed even more profusely and was about to hit Ritsu's head when she suddenly remembered and stopped an inch away. She began to think that maybe after all those years of repeated hits on Ritsu's head, she was the cause of the brain tumour?

Ritsu noticed the sudden hesitation and her smirk turned into a full-blown mischievous grin. "Mio-chuan, I heard sex cures headaches."

"Ritsuuuu!" Mio slapped Ritsu's arm and turned her head away to avoid staring into those bright amber orbs that are, and always have been the cause of her blushing.

"Mio, you're a much better kisser, did you-" Ritsu was on a roll now, enjoying Mio's flustered expressions. _She's always so darn cute._

"No!" Mio cried loudly. She turned back to Ritsu, her grey eyes fiery. Her cheeks reddened again from the outburst. "N-No… I've never- You're the only one." Her cheeks turned a darker shade of red, if that was even possible.

"Awww Mio-chuan- ITAII!" Ritsu held her head in pain.

"Oh- Ritsu! I'm so sorry! I didn't hurt you did I?!" Mio exclaimed, her eyes wide with worry.

"Mio, it's okay, I'm fine," Ritsu laughed. It felt good, in a way, to be hit by Mio on the exact same spot on her head again. It was a normal thing that Mio would always do, it would feel wrong not get hit by Mio. _Damn, now I sound like a masochist,_ Ritsu thought.

Mio laughed too, and embraced Ritsu with tears in her eyes. It felt really good to be in her arms, taking in that familiar warmth that only Ritsu could radiate. Only Ritsu could make her feel this way, so safe and comforted… Mio briefly wondered how she could even get by for four years without this warmth enveloping her. It was addicting, just like everything about Ritsu. Mio sighed and they lay together like that for a while.

The rest of the members, including Himeko, found them in the same position an hour later, sleeping soundly in each other's arms.

* * *

Ritsu was alright for a month after that. It was the best time of her life. She lived each day like it was her last, which she probably believed it to be. She hung out with her band mates every single day, kissed Mio as much as she could and basically lived her life as well as she could. But she was realistic too, in the face of death, and she knew her time was coming.

It all went downhill after that perfect month. Her headaches got worse, she had intense migraines and had to lie in her bed for days without stepping out of the house, with only her band mates and family for company. Her band mates couldn't stay for long, but Mio was always there beside her. She had always been there for her and always will. The start and the end; _forever_.

But cancer changed people too. Ritsu got moody frequently and often yelled at Mio, who would usually keep quiet, but even Mio cracked under such intense pressure and sadness. Their last fight had been unbelievably bad.

* * *

"I didn't ask for any of this, okay?!" Ritsu shouted.

"I didn't ask for it either! You think I want to see you in this state? It's hurting me too!" Mio screamed back. Ritsu's headache was at its peak and all she wanted to do was to hide under the cool darkness of her blanket and listen to the calming silence.

"Mio. Please get out," Ritsu said coldly. Mio gasped. Ritsu had never _ever _asked her to get out. It was usually Mio who did the commanding and almost always, Ritsu would come running back to her after a period of time. But that was when things were fine, when things were normal. They just couldn't avoid the fact that things weren't ever going to be the same anymore. Ritsu was lying very still on her bed, her back facing Mio.

If only Mio could see Ritsu's tear-filled face, she probably wouldn't be as hurt by her cold tone as she was now. Ritsu's cold tone hid her own sad, breaking one so well that Mio felt like her entire heart was being ripped out and stomped on. Ritsu's cold voice had stabbed, pierced and crushed her very heart.

"Fine. You don't seem to need me anymore, so I'll be leaving." Mio said, trying to mirror Ritsu's icy voice but failed, her voice breaking halfway. She stood up from the bed and left the room, unconsciously dripping tears all over Ritsu's floor. Ritsu felt like the shutting of the door was the last thing she would ever hear. It was shut with a finality that hung in her room. It was thick and suffocated Ritsu.

Ritsu ripped her blanket away and started shouting and screaming and crying. Her mind was clouded with a red, angry haze. There was nothing to live for anymore. Mio was gone. _Her _Mio was gone. Mio had finally cracked and left her. But who was she to blame but herself? Ritsu screamed until her throat was raw. Her tears were the only things she could feel dripping on to her arms as she hugged herself, shivering in the corner of her room.

"M-Mio… Mio…" Ritsu whispered shakily to herself. "Mio… I need you. Don't leave me here alone... I'm sorry…"

All she wanted – no, _needed_ right now was a nice comforting hug from Mio. She wanted to be wrapped up in her arms, breathing in her milky scent that never failed to calm her. She needed Mio to be right here now, telling Ritsu that she loved her. She needed Mio's love.

Her breaths started to become shallow and fast. Her worst fears began to emerge. She was going to die alone, in her depressing, suffocating dark room with no one else. She couldn't even attempt to repair her bond with Mio before her death. She couldn't say goodbye to any of her loved ones. _What a pathetic way to go. Some Great Ritsu-sama I am,_ Ritsu thought and scoffed.

"Ritsu!" Mio's voice cried. _Oh great, _Ritsu wondered again. _I must be dead because Mio is calling out to me- wait what?_

Her mind snapped to the present and was surrounded with that intoxicating scent and familiar warmth. _Mio._ The only one she wanted to see right now.

"I'm so, so, so, sorry!" Mio sobbed into Ritsu's neck.

"No, silly, I'm the one who should be sorry," Ritsu said, basking a little in the fact that she got to call Mio 'silly' without being hit. "I'm ill, I didn't know what I was doing and I'm really sorry for hurting you, Mio. Listen… The thing is, I think I'm going to die; like right now. I'm not sure whether to feel scared. But I'll only be scared if you're not here to be here with me when I do."

"Why are you talking like that?" Mio asked, her voice rising an octave. Her eyes were filled with tears again. _Her eyes are almost always filled with tears. It breaks my heart to see this_, Ritsu thought. She wiped away Mio's tears with her thumb and gazed lovingly into Mio's cloudy grey ones. They reminded her of a thunderstorm. _Funny, _Ritsu chuckled internally. _Because Mio's always scared of thunderstorms._

"Well, I just don't want to suddenly dramatically collapse in your arms. Hey, remember the Romeo & Juliet play we did in high school? I guess… This time the roles are switched, huh?" Ritsu chuckled bitterly but then her expression turned serious. "Mio, I want you to promise me: No matter what, do not ever kill yourself. I know you're going to be in a lot of pain and you'd probably want to join me in death or whatever, but please, I beg you, don't even let that thought cross your mind. You're beautiful and fragile, just like a porcelain doll. But can I just ask of you one last thing? I want you to be strong, like a diamond. I don't want you to throw away your life because of me, Mio."

_Stupid Ritsu, _Mio thought. _Even when she was staring death in the face, she would always put me first. She always did._

"I can't do it. I can't do it, Ritsu! I need you… Please don't leave me," Mio started crying harder.

"Mio, I will be with you. Forever. This time I'm not lying. I swear."

"But… But you're going to di- Leave me!"

"Silly Mio, don't you get it? I'll be in your heart, your mind; everywhere you go. I'll be your guardian angel looking out for you from above. I'll always be there for you."

"But-But what if I meet s-someone else?" Mio buried her face deeper into Ritsu's neck. Ritsu's pulse was slowing down, just bit by bit. Mio's own pulse leapt. She couldn't lose Ritsu. She just couldn't.

"I just want you to live your life to the fullest, I want you to be happy; because _I love you_. Although the selfish me may not like it, just do whatever you want to, Mio, I won't judge you." Ritsu stroked Mio's back comfortingly and rested her head on Mio's soft black hair that first attracted her when they met in their childhood days.

_"Ya-ho! You're Akiyama Mio, right?" a grinning Ritsu asked, standing over little Mio, and put out a hand. "I'm Ritsu! Nice to meet you!"_

_"N-Nice to meet you too, R-Ritsu," Mio blushed and shyly extended a hand, which Ritsu grabbed and shook vigorously._

_"Y'know, I really really like your hair. It's so soft and silky and it reminds me of the night sky." At this, Mio was so embarrassed that she ran away from Ritsu._

Ritsu had lost count of how many times she had admired Mio's midnight hair.

_"Mio, have I told you how your hair looks like the night sky?" Ritsu said and looked up at the sky. They were at the Natsu Rock Festival during their senior year, on a hill, and watching the stars together._

_"Yes, many times," Mio blushed lightly and brushed a strand of her hair back. Ritsu noticed this and smiled warmly._

_She reached over and tucked Mio's hair behind her ear and gazed intently into her grey eyes. It was like fire meeting ice. Fire had always melted ice. Yes, Mio was her Ice Queen but Ritsu could melt her heart. It never failed to make Ritsu happy that Mio only showed her warm, passionate yet gentle side to her. Mio wanted to look away because she was embarrassed about Ritsu looking at her so lovingly. But she held the gaze steadily; and they both leaned in…_

It was getting harder and harder to breathe. Ritsu's head was hurting extremely badly, but she pushed the pain aside. She knew it would be gone soon. "Mio, I… I love you, okay? I love you. I love you so much." Ritsu tightened her hold on Mio's hand.

"I love you too, Ritsu. I love you. Too much." Not a truer sentence had been spoken by Mio.

They shared a last kiss. It was bitter-sweet, a sorrowful symphony that only Ritsu and Mio could hear. The thumps of their hearts were united as one. The kiss was salty too, because they were kissing with tears flowing down each others' cheeks. It was sweet, sweeter than any other kiss they had ever shared. It was bitter and sad, because they knew they were going to be away from each other again. It was going to be a long time until they meet once more.

They finally pulled away, albeit reluctantly, and rested their foreheads against each other.

"We will meet again, Mio." Ritsu stared deep into Mio's eyes. It was her last promise to Mio.

And then her heart stopped and she slumped on to Mio's shoulder.

Mio paused. And then she let out the most blood curdling scream in the world. It was the raw, emotional scream of someone who had just lost her beloved.

* * *

_I won't love another, because there isn't another like you._

* * *

**_-_****_afterword_****_-_**

A black-haired girl was seen placing fresh flowers every single day at the Yellow Sunrise Graveyard, usually yellow ones. She came, rain or shine, to visit that precious tombstone – held so dear to her – that was inscribed with "_Tainaka Ritsu; August 21, 1991 – November 5, 2013; Fondly remembered by family and friends." _The visits went on for many years.

Mio visited Ritsu's grave everyday without fail. She learned to overcome her irrational fear of going to the graveyard alone with surprising ease. Maybe it was because she was comforted by the fact that Ritsu was watching over her. Mio could still remember that day Ritsu left her for good, even when her memory started to falter.

_I still remember the look on your face_

_Lit through the darkness at 1:58_

_The words that you whispered for just us to know_

_You told me you loved me so why did you go away, go away_

Mio had fallen into a mild state of melancholy, but she kept her promise to Ritsu. She never dreamt of taking her own life, she only dreamt of reuniting with Ritsu one day.

_Never thought we'd have a last kiss_

_Never imagined we'd end like this_

_Your name, forever the name on my lips_

"Forever," Mio said and touched Ritsu's tombstone. She smiled, with tears in her eyes.

_I do remember the swing of your step_

_The life of the party, you're showing off again_

_And I roll my eyes and then you pulled me in_

_I'm not much for dancing but for you I did_

"Forever," the wind seemed to whisper back.

_I love how you walk with your hands in your pockets_

_How you'd kiss me when I was in the middle of saying something_

_There's not a day I don't miss those rude interruptions_

The wind kissed Mio's cheek as it swept past. Mio's black hair billowed all around her as the wind blew.

_So I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep_

_Hope it's nice where you are_

_So, I'll go sit on the floor wearing your clothes_

Mio took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Every time she went to the peaceful graveyard she would feel as though Ritsu was right there standing next to her.

_I never thought we'd have our last kiss_

_Never imagined we'd end like this_

_Your name, forever the name on my lips_

_Just like our last kiss, forever the name on my lips_

_Forever the name on my lips, just like our last kiss_

"Forever," Ritsu said back, smiling adoringly at her. "I kept my promise."

_**-**__**the end**__**-**_

* * *

**Last A/N: **I can't believe it but I actually cried while writing this. I hope you guys cried too (because it means the story was sad and all. I hope I conveyed both parties' feelings well enough. Also, I kinda used Last Kiss by Taylor Swift at the last part because it suited this chapter well enough I guess. I altered it a bit, removing bits of the lyrics that didn't fit into the story. So obviously, I do not own Last Kiss by Taylor Swift. For the numerous quotes that I used in the stories, I got them mostly from the interwebs. This quote is a personal favourite of mine: "_I won't love another, because there isn't another like you." _I forgot where I got it from, but I just knew it was perfect to use it here. Thank you guys so much for reading this. May the power of Mitsu be with you! If you liked this story please review/favourite etc. It would mean so much to me. I want to know what you guys think of this story ^^ (Should I go for a REALLYYY angsty one-shot next? Hahaha I love angst.) Oh and the Natsu Rock Festival was from Season 2 Episode 12 of the anime (who remembers this episode, I loved it because Mio was at her Mio-est!) 'Adoringly' IS a word. Google it. Thank you guys!

x

Joeh

_P.S. Ritsu would laugh at the name of her graveyard I made up._


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